Iron-rich intermetallic phases and their role in casting defect formation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Iron is the most common and detrimental impurity in aluminum casting alloys and has long been associated with an increase in casting defects. While the negative effects of iron are clear, the mechanism involved is not fully understood. It is generally believed to be associated with the formation of Fe-rich intermetallic phases. Many factors, including alloy composition, melt superheating, Sr modification, cooling, rate, and oxide bifilms, could play a role. In the present investigation, the interactions between iron and each individual element commonly present in aluminum casting alloys, were investigated using a combination of thermal analysis and interrupted quenching tests. The Fe-rich intermetallic phases were characterized using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and the results were compared with the predictions by Thermocalc. It was found that increasing the iron content changes the precipitation sequence of the beta phase, leading to the precipitation of coarse binary beta platelets at a higher temperature. In contrast, manganese, silicon, and strontium appear to suppress the coarse binary beta platelets, and Mn further promotes the formation of a more compact and less harmful a phase. They are therefore expected to reduce the negative effects of the phase. While reported in the literature, no effect of P on the amount of beta platelets was observed. Finally, attempts are made to correlate the Fe-rich intermetallic phases to the formation of casting defects. The role of the beta phase as a nucleation site for eutectic Si and the role of the oxide bifilms and AIP as a heterogeneous substrate of Fe intermetallics are also discussed

Effect of strontium and phosphorus on eutectic Al-Si nucleation and formation of beta-Al5FeSi in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

The present investigation was carried out on hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys containing two levels of Fe, 0.5 and 1.1 wt pct, and Sr in the range of 30 to 500 ppm. The addition of Sr in excess of 100 ppm significantly reduced the number of eutectic grains and also resulted in the formation of polygonal-shaped Al2Si2Sr intermetallics. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the Al2Si2Sr phase surrounded the P-rich particles. This may suggest that the otherwise potent nuclei for the Al-Si eutectic, aluminum phosphide (AlP), become poisoned or deactivated by the formation of the Al2Si2Sr phase around the particles. At the high-Fe level (1.1 wt pct Fe), pre-eutectic formation of β-Al5FeSi platelets further reduced the number of eutectic Al-Si nucleation events. It is proposed that both eutectic silicon and β-Al5FeSi are preferentially nucleated on AlP particles. Nucleation of eutectic silicon, therefore, becomes more difficult when it is preceded by the formation of Al2Si2Sr or β-Al5FeSi, because fewer nuclei are available to nucleate silicon. Addition of up to 60 ppm P to the alloys increased the formation temperature of the β-Al5FeSi platelets but did not significantly alter the size, whereas the addition of Sr decreased the β-Al5FeSi nucleation temperature by reducing the potency of the AlP particles